Know Your Enemy
by madeofair
Summary: When Light finds surveillance cameras hidden in his room, he knows he'll need more than just a racy magazine collection to throw L off Kira's scent. To protect one secret, he'll have to expose a different one. LxLight, Yaoi. If you don't like boy/boy smut, you should probably avoid.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Death note belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata.

* * *

 **A/N:** _So I only recently discovered Death Note (sad, I know..) and this is my first fanfiction. I've been obsessively devouring LxLight stories for the past few weeks so finally I decided to try writing one myself!_

 _Just a warning – I like reading the smutty stuff, so that's what I decided to write. This story is going to get M-rated pretty quickly, so if explicit sexual content bothers you, you may not want to read on._

 _A few of the lines are lifted or adapted from the anime. I did try to avoid OOC-ness as much as possible, apart from the obvious._

 _All comments and criticisms are welcome and much appreciated! Anything you think would improve my writing, please let me know :)_

 _Alex_

* * *

"Well, it seems someone has definitely taken an interest in you, Light." Ryuk's hoarse, raspy voice was met only with a controlled silence and alert stiffening of posture in the handsome young man seated in front of him.

"Every room has at least one camera, and there sure are a lot in this one. I counted 64 in total."

Light Yagami felt a cold weight settle in the pit of his stomach as he took in the gravity of his situation. He had suspected someone had been in his room, even that they'd probably installed some form of surveillance, but _this_? Clearly he had underestimated the level of suspicion he had managed to bring down on himself in such a short time.

 _It has to be L_ , Light realized. _Who else would go to such extreme lengths without even a shred of evidence? He's the only one who has the resources and impunity to do something like this._

"What I want to know is, how am I supposed to eat apples in here?" Ryuk turned to gaze moodily out the window as he spoke, his sharp teeth glinting in the fading sun.

 _Obviously that's going to be impossible now, isn't it?_ Light rolled his eyes inwardly without looking up from his calculus book. For a god, Ryuk could be pretty oblivious at times. If Light were to respond to him, anyone watching the surveillance footage would assume he was talking to himself.

"Oh, right, guess you can't talk in here," the Shinigami realized belatedly.

 _If not for him, though…_

Light had to admit that Ryuk's ability to pinpoint the hidden camera locations without being seen had been incredibly helpful.

 _Now I just need to use this advantage to deflect suspicion somehow…_ the teen mused, tapping his pencil lightly against the edge of his desk. His first idea was to feign interest in the dirty magazines he'd hidden around his room after finding the Death Note. He had bought them as a decoy explanation for his obsessive privacy, in case anyone decided to snoop through his things. But if L was really as brilliant as he was said to be, there was a considerable chance he would see through that. The idea that Light's security precautions were meant to conceal something as mundane as an erotic magazine collection was so… well, it was just so _obvious_.

Light frowned as he proceeded to solve one of the more complicated differentiation problems in front of him as though on autopilot. If L suspected him enough to watch him this closely, he would certainly be aware of Light's own exceptional intelligence, and would surely consider the possibility that Light might become conscious of the surveillance and attempt to throw off the investigation. He _was_ the world's greatest detective, after all.

No. He had to come up with something more believable, more… real.

 _Of course..._

In that instant, Light knew what he had to do. The only way to protect the Death Note and his identity as Kira, future God of the New World, would be to divulge a different secret. He bit back a triumphant smile – it was too perfect!

* * *

When Light returned home from school the following day, he felt only a slight twinge of apprehension. Once he reached his bedroom, he set his backpack down next to the bed and allowed himself to fall back onto his teal-blue comforter with an audible sigh.

With his eyes closed, Light contemplated his plan of action. It was genius, really: he only had to allow the officers investigating the Kira case to discover that he was gay.

It wouldn't exactly be a life-altering revelation. Even during puberty, when his body had been flooded with hormones, sex just hadn't held much appeal for him. He'd always kept so busy with school, extracurriculars, and (later on) assisting his father's department with cases that dating just didn't feature highly on his agenda. And truthfully, it was so rare that he met anyone who captured his attention anyway that he was perfectly content with that. However, the occasional attractions the youth _had_ experienced had revealed that he was definitely predisposed toward physical encounters with men.

Since Light had never been the type to let other people's opinions dictate his actions, it was not as though he had intended to hide his inclinations indefinitely. For the time being, however, he had wanted to ensure that the ridiculous prejudices of others didn't interfere with his goal of becoming a world-class detective. And while he was still living at home, Light preferred secrecy to the idea of an awkward personal conversation with his relatively conservative parents. Since he tended to avoid romantic entanglements anyway, there had never been a pressing reason to disclose his sexuality to his family.

Now, however, he knew there was no alternative – his father, chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA and lead investigator on the Kira case, would inevitably find out his son was gay. There was even a chance he could be watching Light at this very moment, though Light somewhat doubted it.

 _I wonder how dad is coping with his perfect son being a Kira suspect,_ Light wondered, not for the first time since discovering the cameras in his home. _Learning I'm gay might actually come as a relief to him, considering._

At least it would only be his father and the other agents on the Kira task force who would learn his secret. It's not as if Light had to worry about L outing him to the public.

Steeling his resolve, Light sat up and reached for his backpack. He had taken a lengthy detour on his way home from school that day in order to purchase a different kind of dirty magazine, one that was more in line with his own preferences. Now, he lifted a blue plastic bag from his backpack and slid the magazine out.

The glossy cover depicted a well-muscled man reclining on a grey chaise, wearing nothing but a pair of red and white briefs that left precious little to the imagination. One of his hands was resting close to his cheek, while the other was beginning to venture suggestively beneath the elastic of his briefs.

None of the burly men featured in the magazine were really Light's type (not that he could say with certainty what his type actually was, or whether he even had one), but that hardly mattered. The magazine would leave little doubt as to Light's orientation.

As he lay on his stomach leisurely flipping pages, Light was surprised to feel the hot coil of arousal tightening in his abdomen. Was it possible he had an exhibitionist side secret even to himself? Or perhaps it was simply this intoxicating _power_ he felt – the knowledge that the great detective L was likely watching him right this moment, an unknowing pawn in his clever deception, probably playing right into his hands…

Light felt himself harden at the thought of his mighty adversary brought to his knees, trembling and vulnerable in the face of Kira's power.

 _Anyone else in my position would probably have slipped up by now_ , he thought with the barest hint of a smirk. _Well, it won't be that easy with me, L…_

If not for the possibility that his father could also be watching, Light would have been tempted to put on a show for his rival. His erection was beginning to strain against the fabric of his pants achingly, begging for attention as he imagined the elusive detective watching him voyeuristically from afar. He had no idea what kind of person L was, or even what he looked like, but Light was possessed by a savage desire to conquer him in every sense of the word – mind, body, and spirit.

The youth knew how attractive he was; it wasn't even arrogance, just the simple acknowledgement of a basic fact. Suppressing a vindictive grin, he imagined what L might feel to see him carefully unbuttoning his neatly pressed shirt, trailing his fingers along the smooth skin and toned muscle underneath, unzipping his pants and stroking himself hard and fast as he moaned for the microphones...

Rather than giving himself over to his desires, however, Light sat up and reached for the phone on his nightstand.

 _Time for phase two._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Death Note. It belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I had so much fun writing this. Fair warning though, things start to get pretty racy._

 _As with Chapter 1, a few of the lines are lifted or adapted from the anime._

 _Comments and criticisms are welcome! Tell me what you think :)_

 _Alex_

* * *

"I just– I can't believe… _Light!_ " Police chief Soichiro Yagami stared slack-jawed at the screen before him as though he suspected it of some unknown trickery.

The master detective known only as L glanced curiously in the direction of his colleague, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"I wouldn't have thought your son's sexual orientation would be a matter of such great concern to you, Yagami-san."

"It's– it's just, how could he not _tell_ me about this?" Soichiro sputtered. "Doesn't he trust me?"

"Mm… it is not unusual for a seventeen-year-old boy to be secretive, especially with regard to something so personal. When I was that age, I also kept to myself."

Were he not so preoccupied with the events unfolding on the monitor, it might have crossed Soichiro's mind that L was hardly qualified to speak on behalf of normalcy. The enigmatic detective was currently perched on one of the hotel chairs in his usual owlish fashion, arms resting oddly on his knees and bare toes curled over the edge of the seat cushion. Evidence of his chronic sleep deprivation was, as always, apparent in the dark circles under his eyes, and the combination of messy black hair framing an unusually pale face gave him an almost specter-like appearance in the soft blue glow of the computer monitors.

"I suppose, but…" Soichiro trailed off, apparently lost in thought for a moment, until suddenly clenching his fists. "I can't believe my son reads those magazines! Whether he is interested in women or… or _not_ … I don't want him reading that kind of filth."

The two lapsed into a momentary silence, wherein Soichiro clenched his fists still tighter, his knuckles turning white. At length, L turned again to his associate.

"Perhaps it would be best if you retired for the evening. We've all been working such long hours. I will inform you if there are any new developments." L's baritone voice had a soothing quality that could be remarkably persuasive.

Soichiro exhaled deeply and shook his head.

"Yes, I think you may be right, Ryuzaki. This isn't for me to see, anyway. From now on I'll be leaving the surveillance of my family to you." He stood up and leaned to retrieve his coat from a nearby chair. "Please do contact me immediately if anything should occur that is relevant to the case, but I want you to know that I still feel certain these cameras will put an end to your suspicions. I may not know everything about my son's private life, but I do know that he is a good person. He could never be a murderer. I _know_ Light isn't Kira."

With a parting nod in L's direction, Soichiro left the room.

Promptly, L turned his attention back to the screen, eyes narrowing as though he could somehow puzzle out the boy in front of him simply by staring hard enough. Soichiro's conviction was far from enough to convince him of Light's innocence.

 _Light Yagami, is this really all you're hiding?_

He supposed it was not surprising that someone in Light's position would choose to conceal his homosexuality (if indeed that was his orientation). The teen was undoubtedly accustomed to near-universal adoration from those around him. In addition to possessing seemingly flawless good looks, Light was a brilliant student who had far surpassed his so-called "competition" in every subject, an accomplished athlete, and a natural born leader with a commanding air about him that was undeniably magnetic – L had noticed it even in Light's everyday interactions with his family. It made sense that such a seasoned overachiever would be reluctant to display a side of himself that could be perceived as a weakness or defect by others, however baseless that perception might be.

L had to admit that he found the boy completely captivating. If he _were_ Kira, he might even be a worthy rival. He clearly possessed exceptional deductive reasoning abilities, as he had been assisting the NPA with cases since he was fifteen. L himself had been doing detective work since he was even younger, but Light had not had the benefit of the… well, the less-than-conventional education that he himself had received.

The prospect of going head to head with an adversary who posed an actual _challenge_ sent a thrill of anticipation down L's spine, which was followed presently by the hint of a frown.

 _Is it possible that I actually just_ want _Light to be Kira?_ L began chewing at a thumbnail absently. _But no – I_ know _there's more to it. I'm still missing something here. Light fits the profile exactly, and all the evidence so far points in his direction. It's circumstantial, but still…_

L's musings were cut short when he noticed that Light had set aside the magazine and was making a call. He listened in as a male voice answered, and Light proceeded to make plans with someone L shortly identified as Mikami Teru, a second year law student at To-Oh University, for the following night.

* * *

The next evening, L was halfway through his third generous slice of strawberry cheesecake when he heard the news. Two criminals whose names had been broadcast on national television only a half hour before had died suddenly of heart attacks, while Light Yagami had been sitting innocently at his desk, studying for the university entrance exams and snacking on potato chips. He hadn't turned on his television or accessed the internet since the names had been broadcast, and yet both these men – neither of whom had a pre-existing heart condition – were dead.

 _Does this mean he really_ isn't _Kira? He couldn't possibly have known these criminals' identities, let alone killed them…_

L paused suddenly, his fork hovering midway to his mouth.

 _These men– they don't fit the profile of Kira's usual victims. They're nothing but petty criminals, really. Why would Kira even bother with them? Unless… unless perhaps their deaths served some other purpose?_

L put down his cheesecake, all thoughts of sweets temporarily forgotten.

It was quite the stretch, but… if Kira somehow knew he was being watched, it would be a smart move indeed to kill criminals whose names had been broadcast while he had been otherwise occupied, even if they weren't quite up to Kira's usual standards. Very little was actually known about how Kira's powers worked, apart from the fact that he needed a name and a face to kill. Perhaps he had some alternate means of getting that information?

He didn't see how Light could possibly have become aware of the cameras so quickly, but it was certainly suspicious that during the brief period of his surveillance, Kira had begun killing a much lower caliber of criminal than had previously been his M.O.

This time, L was jolted from his ruminations by a knock at the Yagamis' front door, and Light's clear voice echoing over the speakers.

"I'll get it, mom," the teen called from the stairs.

The man who entered was tall – perhaps slightly taller than Light – and objectively very handsome, with broad shoulders and textured black hair that was about chin-length. Like Light, he was stylishly dressed and clean-shaven, and he wore an expression of obvious approval as he gazed at the younger man from behind angular, dark-rimmed glasses.

Clearly, L thought, this was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve – it seemed in this way he was the opposite of Light, whose face L usually found to be an inscrutable mask.

"Glad you changed your mind about coming out tonight, Light." Mikami smiled broadly. "It's about time you got out from behind your desk for once."

Light responded with a low laugh. "You're one to talk, Mikami. I think you might work even harder than I do."

The two men had made plans to attend the party of a mutual acquaintance in Aoyama that night, and Light had been nearly ready when Mikami arrived. The youth's russet hair was smooth and artfully tousled, and not even L could fail to observe how arrestingly beautiful he looked in a crisp grey button-down, casually left open at the collar, and dark blazer.

"That's a fair point," Mikami conceded with a grin.

After the necessary introductions had been made and an offer of tea from Light's mother politely declined, Mikami followed Light upstairs to his room, ostensibly to wait as Light finished the last of his preparations.

L was surprised to see that Mikami simply sat patiently at Light's desk and gazed out the window as the younger man disappeared into the bathroom. Despite his obvious interest in Light, Mikami hadn't bothered to look around the room. Not that, L acknowledged to himself, there was much to see – there were no personal effects on display, no artwork or photographs anywhere to be found that could offer the slightest insight into Light's personality.

L wondered if the young man ever let anyone truly see him.

In a short time, Light returned, leaning against the doorframe with a typically unreadable expression.

"Ready to go?" Mikami rose from his chair and started toward the door, confusion flitting across his features when Light moved to close it.

"Not just yet…"

Heat flared to Mikami's face as he realized what Light was insinuating.

"Light, this… I mean, are you sure this is…"

Even as he began to form the protest, however, Mikami was advancing on Light, unable to resist closing the short distance between them. With a smirk, Light reached to pull the older man closer, capturing his lips with his own. As his tongue flicked against Mikami's teasingly, the dark-haired man groaned softly into the kiss, closing his fingers around Light's hips and pressing them to his own.

L's eyes widened a little at this sudden turn of events, but he did not consider looking away. To L, his unorthodox methods were more than justified as a means to an end (in this case, capturing the most prolific serial killer of all time). He felt no guilt about violating Light's privacy. Anyway, L's own interest in sex was minimal – it's not as if he derived any personal enjoyment from witnessing such acts.

He was, however, fascinated by how easily and completely Light was able to control the interaction, despite being the younger of the participants. Before long, he had Mikami pinned to the wall with an arm pressed to his chest, trying desperately to suppress his gasps and moans of pleasure while Light simultaneously nibbled on his lip and fondled his swollen erection through the fabric of his pants.

While Mikami was beginning to unravel, L noticed that Light's own movements seemed, if anything, _more_ precise and deliberate, his gaze remaining sharp and focused even as the other man's eyes glazed over with lust.

When Mikami began to shudder against him, Light pulled back and allowed him a moment to breathe before taking hold of his loose-fitting tie and guiding him toward the bed. For an instant, the older man seemed to recall where he was, and his eyes widened.

"Not… not here, Light… y– your family…"

" _Shh_ , don't worry, we won't…"

With that breathy reassurance, Mikami relaxed and once again gave himself over to Light, who had managed to maneuver him to the foot of the bed and now proceeded to push him backward onto the soft comforter. He landed with a surprised yelp, drawing another amused smirk from the young brunette.

Light was on top of him in an instant, straddling his hips and invading his mouth. He paused only briefly to remove Mikami's glasses and place them on the bookshelf behind his head. When he began to slowly grind his pelvis against Mikami's, rubbing their erections together, the sound that the older man made was so desperate it was almost a whimper.

" _Ahh_ , f– fuck…"

At that, Light moved to unbutton Mikami's pants and began stroking him at a languid, torturous pace, an intense yet emotionless expression on his face that L found riveting.

"Light… _god,_ ah,please just–"

L couldn't help but wonder what Light might look like in a state of such desperation, moaning and writhing in an excess of pleasure, his usual stoic composure absolutely shattered. It seemed to run so contrary to his nature that L thought it would probably be that much more satisfying to witness, to actually see Light's face flushed and his hair disheveled in a haze of raw emotion, to hear him beg deliriously for more ( _god_ , _ah_ , _please_ _just_ –)…

The imagery that flooded his mind was so vivid and mesmerizing it filled him with a sudden fierce longing that was almost violent in its intensity. A sensation that was close to pain filled his chest, leaving him feeling shaken and short of breath in its aftermath.

Heart pounding and utterly astonished, L tore his gaze from the screen in an effort to make sense of what he had just experienced. He could not.

He had witnessed sexual acts before, and never had they connected with him on any kind of visceral level. But then, this had been… different, somehow. It had felt… strangely… well, _intimate_. There was no other way to describe it. It had felt as though he was not simply a detached observer, but somehow…

L once again lifted his eyes to the screen, this time with a more calculating gaze. Mikami was panting heavily, clearly on the verge of breaking as Light pumped him with rapid strokes, while Light himself looked on with… amused detachment? Self-satisfaction? Almost as if…

L's dark eyes widened. _This has to be paranoia. I had been wondering whether Light could have somehow discovered the cameras, and the idea has been messing with my head. Influencing my perception on a subconscious level. That has to be it._

But then, when Light finally brought Mikami over the edge, gasping out choked cries of bliss, L felt his chest constrict achingly once again as the impossible happened.

Light met his eyes.

He stared right into the camera L happened to be watching just then – one of 64 in the room, no less – as though he could _see_ him.

And the brazen, unadulterated lust in his eyes was simply _gorgeous_.

Heat pooled in L's stomach and seemed to diffuse throughout his body as he looked into Light's smoldering bedroom eyes.

It was too much. He slammed the power button on the monitor with the heel of his palm, his racing heart feeling somewhat soothed by the action.

L couldn't even recall switching to that particular camera angle; he must have done it instinctively when he had wanted to see Light's face. There was simply no way, even if he _did_ know about the surveillance, that Light could know L would do that.

It had to be a coincidence. That was the only explanation.

An extremely unsettling coincidence.

L exhaled slowly. He hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath.


End file.
